Ch.177Where Are You Hiding?

Leonore needed to be secured as per Leopold’s instructions, but there was a problem at the fundamental level.

Persuading her and preparing a hideout would only be possible if I could meet her first.

Leonore had disappeared without a trace.

I spent the entire morning following Leopold around looking for her, but couldn’t even find her shadow.

She rarely appeared at official events to begin with, but she used to wander around the imperial palace here and there.

She wasn’t holed up in the Third Prince’s separate palace either.

If that were the case, there would have been rumors about the princess being in seclusion.

Whether she flew into the sky or sank into the ground, Leonore had completely vanished.

Since it wasn’t unusual for her to move around as she pleased, others seemed to think this time would be no different… but I couldn’t be so optimistic.

Above all, disappearing at this particular timing was far too coincidental.

Leopold also looked somewhat perplexed.

“I didn’t expect this… this is troublesome.”

“…Do you think Isabella made the first move?”

I carefully voiced the worst-case scenario. Personally, I could only hope that wasn’t the case.

If Isabella had indeed beaten us to it… Leonore would have already had her life as a human being brought to an end by now.

Fortunately, Leopold shook his head as if to reassure me.

“Well, if that were the case, wouldn’t it be known that she’s in Isabella’s chambers, just like Ernst? That would be more natural. Considering that last night’s incident was Ernst’s impulsive action, I’m not even certain Isabella would have had the opportunity to deal with Leonore afterward.”

“That’s a relief. But if that’s the case… Princess Leonore might have gone into hiding voluntarily. This is troublesome.”

If she had hidden herself willingly, finding her would be difficult from the start.

“Indeed. We need to investigate Leonore’s whereabouts while also ensuring others don’t realize we’re looking for her… it won’t be simple.”

“If she’s already left the palace, is there really any way to find her?”

It wouldn’t be easy to search the entire empire, nor did we have the means to do so.

Both Leopold and I had our movements clearly visible to everyone.

If a prince were to leave the palace and wander around, anyone would question his intentions.

As his guard, I wasn’t in a position to move independently during the day either.

Maybe I shouldn’t have agreed to be a guard knight…

Well, I couldn’t have anticipated things would turn out this way, so it couldn’t be helped.

“I don’t know. She might appear at Matthias’s funeral… but if she’s hiding from Isabella, she probably won’t reveal herself even then.”

“Should we postpone looking for Leonore until then?”

It won’t be easy, but if she watches the funeral from a distance, we might be able to find her somehow.

“For now, we should see how the Empress responds. Things may be quiet now, but after a couple of days, others will start questioning Leonore’s disappearance, and the Empress will have to respond to that.”

“Sigh… We’re constantly being dragged along by circumstances, and nothing goes according to plan.”

Fighting monsters was simpler and more straightforward. All problems could be cleanly resolved by exerting violence to crush the enemy.

But this political arena never moves according to my will, which is endlessly frustrating.

Whenever I try to do something, I have to consider justifications, circumstances, and others’ perceptions.

It feels like rolling in mud while entangled in a spider web.

But if I were to ignore all that and resolve things with force… I’d likely end up being the one defeated, buried under all sorts of slander.

No matter how strong one hand is, it can’t block ten hands.

Or perhaps it’s simply that I lack sufficient power.

Even a single hand, if it holds a sword, could cut down twenty opponents, not just ten.

“That’s the nature of politics, isn’t it? Not just politics, but all human plans are like that. Once you start, flaws always emerge somewhere… In the end, adapting to the situation with improvisation is the best approach. If that doesn’t suit you, the only alternative is to transcend human capabilities. Like Carlos the Great.”

In other words, unless I’m as powerful as Carlos, I’ll inevitably be tossed around like this.

I really need to get stronger as soon as possible.

…Despite killing quite a few monsters, I still can’t sense the next level.

Perhaps I need some kind of catalyst.

—-

Isabella’s response was swifter than expected.

She wouldn’t have handled it personally—she was probably busy with human experiments in her lair—but must have given indirect orders to her underlings.

The very next day, rumors spread that Leonore was staying in the Rose Pavilion, focusing on training to cope with the grief of losing her brother.

Evidence was also found that she had headed toward the Rose Pavilion, quickly putting an end to the disappearance concerns in an almost artificial manner.

No one bothered to visit Leonore’s villa to verify the truth.

“Could it be true?”

“You don’t believe it either, do you? Certainly, she might have visited the villa overnight. Given Leonore’s character of caring for her members, she would have wanted to warn them to be especially careful about their safety. If so, the traces themselves might be real.”

It was a convincing answer.

While Leonore might not know Isabella’s true identity, she was well aware of her evil deeds and would naturally worry about her members being harmed by Isabella in her absence.

Even at Isabella’s “banquet,” female knights-turned-prostitutes were especially popular.

Is there some strange appeal in the concept of female knights that fulfills men’s fantasies?

Men, especially nobles who weren’t military officers, particularly enjoyed tormenting female knights.

If Leonore were still around, it might be different… but with her gone, the Rose Cross Knights would be like a feast laid out for Isabella.

“However, unless Leonore’s intelligence is at the level of a monkey, she’s unlikely to still be there. Not unless she’s desperate to be captured by Isabella. She probably left immediately after giving the warning. Perhaps the members have also disappeared like Leonore… If so, there’s either no one there now, or only Isabella’s underlings remain.”

“…Should I secretly go check? If Isabella’s underlings are there, I might be able to find some clues.”

I’m not certain, but if I could capture and interrogate Isabella’s underlings, something might come up.

At least it seems better than just waiting like this…

“Do you know what level of forces might be gathered there? What if it’s a trap to lure you out? Don’t be impatient; wait. An opportunity will come eventually.”

Leopold firmly shook his head.

I had no counterargument.

If, as he suggested, Isabella had set a trap, she would have gathered enough forces to capture me for certain.

Once again, lack of information held us back.

While Isabella probably knows my capabilities well, I have no idea what forces Isabella can currently mobilize.

Maybe if I actually fought, it would be manageable. Or perhaps she’s much stronger than I think.

I couldn’t risk such a gamble. My future was at stake.

As the old saying goes:

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. But if you don’t know the enemy, you may win once but lose once.

And in this world, losing means death or a fate worse than death.

What if this happens to be that one time I lose?

The thought of becoming either a host for those insects or a plaything for nobles made my enthusiasm wither completely.

Right. There are other options, so why take unnecessary risks…?

“…I understand. But how long do we have to wait? Giving Isabella too much time is also dangerous.”

“If the princess could defeat all the assassins Isabella might send on her own, that would be fine… but if not, we’ll have to wait at least until the Margrave of Landenburg returns with his forces.”

So it comes down to Ludwig.

Does this Leopold guy not have any masters he’s gathered?

Ah, right. He did have some.

But he lost them at Einfeld.

—-

“Once the prince-electors arrive, my victory is assured. The Duke of Wien won’t switch to Isabella’s side now… and if the two secular prince-electors support me, the Grand Duke of Faelrun will follow suit.”

…That wasn’t particularly reassuring.

“Isabella must know that too… if she can’t win by vote, won’t she try other methods?”

Even if the prince-electors’ vote for the throne has never been violated throughout imperial history, it seems too naive to think it will continue that way.

Would Isabella really respect that tradition? Maybe not.

“That’s why I hired the princess. If I’m assassinated before the vote, Ernst would naturally ascend to the throne. It might be less likely while I’m in the palace, but if I step outside, they’ll try to kill me at the first opportunity.”

“What if she uses methods other than assassination?”

There must be ways to disrupt the election besides assassinating Leopold.

“Other methods? If you have any ideas, please speak freely.”

“What if she targets the prince-electors coming to the empire, rather than Your Highness…?”

Leopold let out a hollow laugh.

What’s so funny? That seems like something she would do.

“With the number of masters under the prince-electors’ command… even three individuals of the princess’s caliber would struggle to succeed in such an attempt. Besides, unless she’s willing to be deposed for treason, she can’t use forces that are publicly known, so she’d have to use hidden troops… If Isabella had enough secret forces for such an act, wouldn’t she have resolved all problems with military might long ago?”

“Then, what about the possibility of her refusing to accept the election results?”

“Refusing to accept? Are you worried she might start a civil war?”

Yes. That’s exactly what I’m worried about.

“In imperial history, there has been only one civil war over succession. And that person was cut into a hundred pieces and scattered before two months had passed. While the imperial army remained neutral… the prince-electors were very active in suppressing someone who ignored their authority and brought chaos to the empire. If Isabella chooses civil war, she too will have to choose whether to die dismembered or burned within a month.”

So starting a civil war would not only lack any chance of success but would actually hasten her death.

Since the succession vote is the most fundamental right of the prince-electors, they wouldn’t tolerate anyone trying to deny it.

If that’s the case, perhaps we can rest easy on that front.

—-

They say you can’t predict what will happen next in life.

That saying proved true.

Two days later, Frider came to the imperial palace with a letter in hand.

It was a letter from Leonore.